He will begin a youth movement at cornerback where their top three corners will all cross the 30-year-old threshold by the end of next season. Terence Newman is 35, Adam Jones 30 and Leon Hall 29 coming off his second Achilles injury in three years.

This marks the fourth time Marvin Lewis selected a cornerback in the first round. He also took Johnathan Joseph (2006), Leon Hall (2007) and Dre Kirkpatrick (2012) there.

As Dennard slipped down the draft board while watching with his friends and family in his hometown of Macon, Georgia, he could sense the anxiety. Before the Bengals called, Dennard jumped and did a dance to lighten the mood. Minutes later the whole party danced along with him.

"There was a sigh of relief in the room, really," Dennard said. "I wasn't really worried. My family was a little worried because they paid attention to all the mock drafts and things like that. I didn't pay too much attention to that."

The Bengals did and hence the surprise when he still sat on the board. Talk circled the room about moving up a few spots to secure him, but when the Browns traded with Philadelphia for Johnny Manziel, it all but assured Cincinnati would land their guy.

"The quarterback going was helpful to us," Lewis said. "There were a couple of teams as you saw that wanted to slide back a little bit. I think we valued keeping the picks we have and it kind of worked out for us."

Coaches stressed Dennard's character as a captain and leader at Michigan State. His technique and decision-making brought out reminders of a player everyone in the defensive room was familiar with.

Marvin Lewis discusses the fit of Darqueze Dennard and how he ended up with the Bengals.
Paul Dehner Jr.

"When we worked him out, (co-defensive backs coach) Vance (Joseph) and I said, 'That's Leon Hall,'" defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said. "He's technique-sound; he does what he's asked to do," All the coaches at Michigan State rave about the guy. He always takes the extra step to do things the right way. That's the kind of guy we want around here."

The Bengals were eyeing the top corners of the draft, but one of them ended up not only off the draft in front of them but will be a nuisance across the division. Cleveland traded back from four to nine then up one spot with Mike Zimmer and the Vikings in order to lock in Oklahoma State's Justin Gilbert. Andy Dalton and the rest of the AFC North will have to deal with Gilbert and Pro Bowl corner Joe Haden for the foreseeable future.

Teams within the division made a habit of stealing players the Bengals valued. Pittsburgh stole Ryan Shazier, the explosive linebacker out of Ohio State, while Baltimore took the other top linebacker, C.J. Mosley of Alabama, with the possibility of upgrading next to Vontaze Burfict.

The surprising names that began to slide down the draft were names possible of hitting the Bengals in their sweet spot of an aging secondary.

Also, Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, a safety from Alabama, projected by many to slide off the board in the top 15 but ended up all the way down for Green Bay at 21. The Bengals would have liked him as a youth movement for the future with Reggie Nelson turning 31 and George Iloka still battling for his position on the team.

Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina) shakes hands with Roger Goodell after being selected as the number one overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Houston Texans at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

Greg Robinson (Auburn) poses with commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number two overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the St. Louis Rams at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

May 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Blake Bortles (Central Florida) poses for a photo after being selected as the number three overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

Sammy Watkins (Clemson) poses for a photo after being selected as the number four overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Buffalo Bills at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Khalil Mack (Buffalo) poses for a photo with commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number five overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Oakland Raiders at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Jake Matthews (Texas A&M) poses with a jersey after being selected as the number six overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Atlanta Falcons at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Mike Evans (Texas A&M) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number seven overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Justin Gilbert (Oklahoma State) poses for a photo with his jersey after being selected as the number eight overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Eric Ebron (North Carolina) poses for a photo after being selected as the number ten overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Detroit Lions at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Taylor Lewan (Michigan) poses with his jersey after being selected as the number eleven overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Tennessee Titans at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Odell Beckham Jr. (LSU) poses for a photo with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number twelve overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the New York Giants at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Kyle Fuller (Virginia Tech) holds up his jersey after being selected as the number fourteen overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Chicago Bears at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Ryan Shazier (Ohio State) holds up his jersey after being selected as the number fifteen overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

C.J. Mosley (Alabama) poses with Roger Goodell after being selected as the number seventeen overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Baltimore Ravens at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Calvin Pryor (Louisville) poses for a photo after being selected as the number eighteen overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the New York Jets at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Brandin Cooks (Oregon State) poses for photos after being selected as the number twenty overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the New Orleans Saints at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Alabama) poses for a photo after being selected as the number twenty-one overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Green Bay Packers at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M) poses with a jersey after being selected as the number twenty-two overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Jason Verrett (TCU) holds up his jersey after being selected as the number twenty-five overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the San Diego Chargers at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Bradley Roby (Ohio State) holds up his jersey after being selected as the number thirty-one overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Denver Broncos at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Teddy Bridgewater (Louisville) poses for photos with his jersey after being selected as the number thirty-two overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Minnesota Vikings at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries:

While the storyline of the draft became the plummet of Manziel down the draft board the Bengals never took the bait. Marvin Lewis said he wouldn't bring in a quarterback that would compete with Andy Dalton for snaps and, not surprisingly, that was validated with the selection.

They will be affected by Manziel, however, as the Browns jumped up to No. 22 and added the polarizing quarterback. The Bengals host the Browns November 6 on Thursday Night Football, for those interested in entertainment value.

The second day of the draft will begin at 7 p.m. today spanning the second and third round. The Bengals will own picks 55 and 88 overall. They will still be in the market for a quarterback and offensive line help.